Apparatus for packaging resilient material



Nov. 28, 1933. C. FIELD APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING RESILIENT MATERIALOriginal Filed June 16, 1928 6 Sheets-Sheet l Nov. 28, 1933. c. FIELD1,937,036

APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING RESILIENT MATERIAL Original Filed June 16, 19286 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR CRSBY F/ELD BY lnvny, mM/5 Nov. 28, 1933. C,HELD 1,937,036

APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING RESILIENT MATERIAL Original Filed June 16, 19286 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR CRSBY FIELD BY my mwmgm Nov. 28, 1933. c.FIELD 1,937,036

APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING RESILIENT MATERIAL Original Filed June 16. 19286 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR CROSBY F/ELD Nov. 28, 1933. c. FIELD APPARATUSFOR PACKAGING RESILIENT MATERIAL v 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed June16, 1928 lNvENToR CRSBY F/ELD momma Nov. 28, 1933. C, F|ELD 1,937,036

APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING RESILIENT MATERIAL Original Filed June 16, 19286 Sheets-Sheet 6 NVENTOR cfeosy HELD B 2, BMMONYS 2 Patented Nov. 28,1933 APPARATUS FOR PACKAGING RESILIENT f MATERIAL Crosby Field,Brooklyn, N. Y., assigner to Brillo lt/ IanufacturhngV Company,Brooklyn, N. Y., a r corporation of New York l Application June 16,192s, seriaiNo. .285,931

Renewed March 13, 1933 f 33` claims. (Cil. zeef-101)V This-inventionrelates to apparatus for=pack aging resilient matted material and hasfor an object the provision of mechanism which will compact and packagesuch material without undesirably affecting the useful qualities of thema# terial.

The invention has been developed in connection with the packaging ofsteel wool and will be particularly described in this connection butwith Y"" the explicit reservation that it is'entirely suitable forpackaging many other materials of a similar nature, such for example, asmetal Wool, wood shavings, cotton Wool and hair.

Itis highly desirable from the consumers view- ,5 point that steel Wooland similar materials when received for use shall be in a fiuffyresilient condition and :free from sharp bends. It is equally desirablefrom the manufacturers and shippers viewpoint that such material shallbe packed in bulk in handling and storing. The usual box and plungerpresses do not fulfill these require ments, for though capable ofcompressing the material to any desired extent they produce numeroussharp bends and to a large extent destroy its resiliency and fluiiness.To avoid this it has become an extensive practice to roll the materialvby hand-to compact it in preparation for packaging, which obviously isslow as Well as injurious to the hands of the workers.

The apparatus herein to be described simulates the approved hand packingand additionally furnishes all the advantages oi machine practice.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the followingdescription oi one Villustrative l embodiment of the invention whenYconsidered in connection withv the accompanying drawings, in4

Fig. 1; n Fig. 5 is a similar section with parts in closed position;Fig. 6 is a vertical section on the line 6-6 of Fig. 1

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view partly in rear elevation and partly insection of parts shown in the lower right hand corner of Fig'. 2; and

the smallest possible packages to avoid undueV Fig.l 8` is an enlargedsectional View of a safety device associated with the 'front edge of thematerial compressing apron, the View being taken on the line 8-8 of Fig.4. y

'Ille apparatus in general comprises means for rolling `the materialinto a compact cylindrical roll, means for holding a container inposition to; receive the roll of material, means'forejecting the rollof'rnaterialirom the rolling meansfinto the container and ancillarymechanismk for secur-l ing properly timed and coordnatedgaction of thevarious parts and for avoiding injury tolthe workingmechanisrn and theperson of the ,at-I tendant operator. Q f

The working mechanism of the apparatus is principally supported, asshown' inV thegseveral 70 views and particularly in Figs. 1 and 2, .uponver-v tical side frames 2U, 22intermedi'ate Vertical frames 24, 26 and,as seen at theleft of the g ures, a horizontal frame 28 supported' atitsy left end upon a pedestal 30 and at its rightjend upon 75l* the'sideframe 20. The vertical frames may be' connected by transverse beams,bolts orthe like as required. p a f 'A The., means hereinY shown forrolling .the maf terial into a cylindrical roll and for confining itduring this operation compriseaas ybest shown inv Figs. l and 4,parallelend plates 32,v 34 'at-j l tached to 'the upper interior sidesoffthe inter? mediate frames 24, 2 6 respectivelyf'and`-between, p theparallel plates 32, 34 a flexible apron36 at` 85 tached at one end toa`horizontaltroughdike bar 38 supported at its endsupon the vframes24,126 and partially concentric with the circumferential'I edges ofopenings 40, 42 formed in the parallel' end plates 32, 34 respectively.a

The other or travelling` end of the apron' is attached to a transversebarflamovable betweeny the end plates 32, 34, the barbeing'carried'gup'on` ears 46, which, in turn, areroperatively borne uponguiderods 5G, 52 attached, as best shown 95 rin FigfB tothe stems ofTVlinks-5r4gof an pair of endless carriers in the .form of chains'.` YEach chainpasses in several stretchesstart ing upward from the bottomleft corner of Fig. 3, a

over a plurality of spaced guide sheaves R1, R2, 100

R3, R4, R5, R6, R7 and R8, beneath an adjust-f-l ing sheave R9, andthence over a large sprocket 60 keyed'to a drive shaft .62 supportedinsuitable bearings in the vertical frame members. All

of the sheaves R1 to R9 inclusiveare-supported 105 Y on the outer sidesof the intermediate frames 24, Y

26 and the adjusting sheaves R9 vare mounted upon axles 57 fixed in hubs58a of plate. brackets 58 formed with slots 58o and heldv upon the.

frames by cap screws 59.

` vThe guide sheaves are so arranged that the hopper, to its closedposition, as shown 5, A

where it forms a constricting cylinder, to bear upon the front curvededge or" the trough-like bar 38. The chains 58 are driven ilrst in onedirection and then in the reverse direction, thus successively carryingthe travelling end of thev apron from the position of Fig. 4 to that ofFig. 5

- and back to initial position for one complete operation. y y Y Y Forthe purpose or" avoiding buckling oi the apron as well as for securingsmoother and closer disposition thereoi against the curved front edge ofthe bar 38,*the apron Seas seenl in Fig. lis

made'of a plurality of overlapping sheets. These sheets 36a, 35h, 36eoverlap interiorly from left to right, ther by insuring that thematerial which is forced from left to right during ejection from theclosedapron will not catch in the overlapping joints.

"In additionto the yabove mentioned arrangement of guide rollersintended toV secure Vconstant contact of the apron while moving past thefront edge oi the ybar 38 there are (Fig. 2) a plurality of chains 64a,64h, 64c-one for each of the apron sheets 36a, 36h, 3e'c-`-attached attheir front ends (Figs. 4 andy 5) to the apron bar, 44 and at their rearends to a weight 66 kcarried by anti-friction end rollers 68 riding(upon an inclined track 70.

Near the top "of th'emachine the chains 64's, 64b, 64c-pass over guidepulleys '72 carried by a shaft '74 and when the travelling end ci the'apron with the attached chains is carried down past the front of thetrough-dike bar 38 as shown in Fig. 5. the chains also press each of thesheets of the apron against the bar 38 to prevent material within theapron from escaping; The position or" the shaft 74 is such Ythat thechains.

. as shown fory one o thechains in Fig. 5, through a headed rod 76engaging a spring '18;housed "shown in Figure 4to form a hopper.

within a recess in lthe weight.

Thus with the above described arrangement, the unanchored or free movingend oi the apron` 36 attached to the Abar 44 may be positioned as As thebar 44 moves downwardly with the chain 56 to a position infront of thetroughlike bar 38 (at the left-hand side ofthe trough-like bar 38 as.

shownv in lligure 4) the flexible apronV 36 is positioned to form arelatively large cylinder. Further downward movement of the bar 44gradually draws and forces the apron 36 over the front curved edge ofthe trough-like bar 38 (the lefthand edgeof the bar as shown in Eiguree)and reduces the sizeof the cylinder formed by the apron 36 and thetrough-like bar` 3S, as'shown in Figure 5. As the. steel wool or likecompress ible material, which isV placed in the Yapron 36- When it is inits hopper-like position.. (Figures),

is compressed by vthe compressing action of the cylinder formed by theapron 36, the pressure required to compress the steel wool isincreased.

As the apron 36 reaches the position shown in Figure 5, the compressingaction becomes great-- er, and the pressure withrwhich the apron 36 isheld against the front'or left-handl edge of the bar 38 is alsoincreased. As a result of this coaction between the trough-like bar 38,the apron 36, and the material being compressed, ya tight positive sealis established between the apron 36 and the :iront edge of theltrough-likek bar 38,

whereby thefmaterial being compressed is positively prevented fromescaping between the apron 36 the front edge of the bar 38. This posi-ftive seal eiiected between the apron 36 and the trough-like member orbar 38, is in addition to the force which the chains 64a, 64b and 64eexert upon the individual sheets of theapron 36.

The drive shaft 62 may be operated by any suitable gearing. Referring toFig.` land-the lower left hand portionof Fig. 2, the gearing comprises a.pinion 63iast on the shaft-'62,the

pinionfbeing in mesh with and driven byv afref, ciprocating rack bar 8).The rack bar bears on its side a wrist pin 82 attached to a connectingrod 83 actuated by a' crank pin 85 protruding` from the face of a gear84 fast on a stub lshaft 86 rotatably mounted in a bearing in the sideframe 2i).` The gear 84 o the stub shaft, in turn, is driven by a pinionS'J'ast on a main shaft 86. The main shaft 88 Yat its other end carriesa gear 89 in mesh with afpinion 91 onits front end may convenientlybeheld upon'the drive shaft pinion 63 by a stud 'supported roller- 'isand at its rear end (see also Fig.-4) may be guided by other studsupported rollers S1.

rom theioregoing description it` is clear that the r'acl; bar Si) has amotion which follows a sine curve-and that the motion orV the sprocket6e andthe transverse bar 44 (which is moved by,` .the sprocket 66through the medium oi the chains 56) also` has a motion which follows asine curve.,- Further, this motion `which is imparted to thev transversebar 44, and by which the apron 36 is bent into a compressing cylinder,has many advantages, among which are the following: At about the pointwhere the transverse bar 44 rst forms the apron 36 into a closedcylinder, it has its maximum speed, andaccordingly, the mate-V rial inthe apron is compressed at a maximum rate.

moving the bar 44 is*correspondinglyincreasedthus, as resistance to thecompressing oi the Ina-' terial increases, the rate of compressiondecreases but the force available for the compression in.l

wear andtear on the apron 36, by applying the l 35;'

maximum compressing force at a minimum speed.

The container into which the compacted ma terial is depositedmay be vofany. usualy openended type but the container chosen tor illustration isformed as a sleeve open at both ends. 1'? When received these sleevesare creased longi-vr tudinally in two llines so as to lie ilat. On theextreme right oi Fig. 1 a stack of such flatYV sleeves C is .showndisposed upon aV `frame sup.-`

ported table A100 within 'convenient reach; o f an As the movement ofthe bar 44 continues,` its speed becomes slower (following a sine curve),a but Vat the same time the force available for iss operator.

lthe horizontal framazagfrheour end of the The sleeves. thus constructedare adapted to be opened by hand, and since the material of which theirsides are vformed is light may be pressed into a generally circularshape.

The means herein provided for holding a container in position for theinsertion of compacted material ejected from .thev rolled up apronthrough the opening 42, comprises, as best shown at the Aright of Fig.1, the left of Fig. 3 and in Fig. 7 a cup 102 attached to the outer sideof intermediate frame 26 in proper positionfor a bottom opening 103 ofthe rcup to coincide with the 'opening 42 in the end plate 34, whichlatter opening, as previously explained, is in line with the similaropening 40 and the constricted cylindricalinterior space of the apronwhen the apron is rolled up, as shown in Fig. 5. The cup 102 at itsouter open end is formed with an annular conical flange 104 for guidingvone end of the sleeve. C (indicated in dotted lines in Figs. 1 and v7)into the interior of the cup.` `At its bottom table respectively. y

For swinging the clamp block into containerengaging Vposition (as shownin dotted lines in Figs.` 1 and 7) it is provided with a handy latchllvreciprocably supported (Fig. 3) Within apertured lugs 117 on the rearface of the clamp block, the llatch between the lugs being formed withan enlarged portion 118 engaged and urged to theleft by a spring 119pressing at its other end against one of the lugs 117.

As viewed in Fig. '1, the right end of meisten y is slidably receivedwithin the arcuate slot 120 of a latch plate 121 secured to the rearedge of the table 100. The rear end of the hand latch. 116

is provided With a ring 122 fixed in non-slidableY relation thereon, thering being fof vgreater diameter than the Width of the upper portion of`s the slot so as normally to ride upon the side edges of the slot. Theslot at its lower' end, however; is formed with an enlargement 12011 ofsuicient size to receive the ring 122 and, consequently, when theYoperator moves the clamp block 110 from the full line position of Fig. 7to the dotted line position and into'holding relation Withthe end of asleeve, the enlarged ring on the vendof the latchdrops into the enlargedportionof' the slotthe latch being urged to the left byspringpressure-and holds the block securely in position until such time as theoperator pushes upon the latch to release it from the slot. `When thisoccurs the block under urge of the spring 113 moves back to its fullline'position, releasing the sleeve which in the meantime has beensupplied with a roll of compacted material.

The means herein provided for ejecting a roll of compressed materialfrom the coiled apron, comprises, as may be seen in Fig. 1, a horizontalplunger 124 held by guides 126, 127 rising from the horizontal frame 28in line with the openings 40 and 42. The rear end of the plunger may beattached as by a clip 128ato a link chain 128 passing over guide sheaves129 loosely mounted up'on pins 133 protruding from the front of sleeve.

comes into engagement vvitlrthe clutch' return chain 128 is attachedtothe .outer end of` fa Weighted arm 130 pivoted upon the right pin 133vvhilev the'inner end of the chain is attached a second chain 132`operating in a plane `at right l-80 angles to theplane of theflrstchain. The chain -132 near the base of the machine passes over a guidesheave Y134 loosely mounted upon a stud 135 affixed.. to the side of thefrarnev 20 and I is attached at its rear end as may beobservedin Fig. 6to the periphery of an oscillating Windl.

ing disc 136. l

`,Oscillation ofthe disc 136 thus providesv reciproc'ation of the chains1,32`and 128 to move plunger 124 through the coiled-up apron 3,6 andopeningsvr 40, 42 to eject compacted material into a 'sleeve held inposition between the cup 102 and squared portion 88a of the shaft 88 andis adapted 10() .to engage With the similarly notched hub 137 of theWinding disc 136 to cause the disc `to be rotated at intervals lwith theshaft.

The clutch sleeve 140 may be operated by a clutch lever142 thebifurcated end 1430i which v10:5 embraces the sleeve and carries facingpins.V 144 p operating Within an annular groove 141 ofthe The clutchlever 142 may. be rpivoted upon a fixed vertical pin 146 so as tooscillate-between vthe full and dotted line'positions shownlfl; in Fig.2While moving the clutch sleeve into and out of engaging position. Theend of the'vclutch lever nearest the frontof'the machineV ispivotallyconnectedto a magnetlever 150 pivotally supported upon a xedvertical pin 152 and engaged 1515 at its'front end bythe plunger 154 ofamagnetic solenoidS. I u y,

If'the solenoid S is energized for a short interval the frontend ofthelever `150 Willbe* moved to the left, as vievvedJinFig. 2, thereby129 moving the front endy of the clutch lever 142 to the right yandcorrespondingly movingl the' bifurcated end 143 ofthe clutchlever'together With the lclutch sleeve 140 to the left. into clutchengaging'position., Theclutch sleeve tends to i* remain in this positioneventhough'the solenoid be :de-energized. When this occurs shaft 88 willrotatevthe Winding disc 136 clockwise (as vviewed" in Fig. 6) i to windupY the chain 132 and move the plunger 124 on `its instroke, i. e., tothe right 1'3(`) as viewedin Fig. 1.' When the disc has rotatedsufliciently vto cause "the plungerto move cornpletely through theapron" and eject the material the disc 136 acting` through a face cam138 Whichy 135 roller` mounted on the clutchv lever 142, moves theclutch sleeve into disengaged position. As soon as the discf136 isdisengaged from the main shaft 88 the Weightediarm 130 attachedto the -vend ofthe chains 128,y 132 connected fWiththe-1`40 disc causes the discto be returned to the posi# tion shown in Fig. 6. Y

. The clutch operating'solenoid S may be con` trolled by any suitablemechanism` capable of effecting its energization in' properly timedrelationship' with the operation of the apron.l Referring to the left ofFig. 2 -and the right lofy Figs. 4 and 5the side frame 20 near theV rearofthe ma` chine above the stub shaft 86 adjustably supports ay slottedstrap 158 formed witha lateral 150 pedestal 30, the rod being normallysupported by a rigid collar 168 at its upper end and moved pin 159pvotally attached to one end of a tubular mercury switch 156. The freeend of the Atubular switch 156 has a pin 16() `adapted to ride upon theperiphery of 'a cam plate 162 iixed.y to the outer end'of the constantlydriven stub shaft 86.

Normally (Fig. 4) theswitch pin 16.0 ridesupon a circular portion 16211of the cam plate 162, .during; which period the switch is open;butperiodically-when apron 36 is closed-(Fig. 5) the Apin rides up uponthe raised cam portion 162D ofthe Y. plate to Vcause the switch to beclosed and through suitable electrical conductors to energize thesolenoid S. Shortly thereafter, the pin 169V rides down the other sideof the cam portion'162b kallowing the switch to open again andde-energize the' solenoid. Adjustment of the'v slotted strap 158 alongthe frame 20 Varies the position of the switch 156 and changes the timeat which it is actuated by the cam plate,'thus making it possible tocoordinate'the movements of the switch and magnet controlled plunger 124very closely with the movements of the apron.

. Since the plunger 124 and related parts operate quite rapidly and haveconsiderable inertia it is desirable to cushion their movements in orderto avoid objectionable vibration and excessive wear. As seen at extremeleft handportion'of Fig. 1, the parts on the in-stroke of the vplunger124 are cushioned by a buiTer comprising a slidable rod 166 movablethrough vertical guides 31 on the v against the action of a surroundingspring 170 by 4.5,; bearing bracket 90, the rod being urged tothe leftby aqsurrounding spring 180 acting against thel a second collar; 172karranged for direct engagement by the forked end 131 of the weighted armOnthe out-stroke, as seen at the eXtreme left of Figi, thek plunger 124:may be cushioned directly by a resilient bumper 123 mounted in anabutment 125 rigidly attached-upon the left end' of the horizontalframev28.

Additionally, on the out-stroke of the plunger 124the parts may becushioned (Fig. 6).v by a buffer comprising a slidable `rod 176 movablethrough horizontal guides 177 on kthe base ofthe left guidel77 and avcollar 178 on the rod. The rod between the guides 177 is also providedwith. a

l member 182 adapted` to be engaged bythespaced lugs 139 of the windingdisc A136. In Fi'gr, the lugs 139 and collar 182 arev shown in engagingy position.

The outer sidesofthe blocks'lare equipped' with stud-borne rollers 168riding upon tracks 190 attached to and spacedY from frames 241,V 26bykoverhanging brackets 192, the blocks Vbeing held in position to travel'-ahead of the apron 36 at all times by'arrns 194 attached totheapron-moving Y 12S causing the plunger 124to move throughA the 'lf-links54 of chains 56 previously described.

Referring to Fig.'8 the bar 18e comprises a rnetallic rod 183 andashorter 'insulating sl'eevel for the rod. .Thegblochs- 166 are slottedonone side toreceive the bare ends of Vthe rodla'l vand these, ends arenormally urgedinto contact with sockets 196-by-springs 197 acting uponthe ro through insulating bearing pieces 198. y l1V-he'rnd'llthus formsan electrical connection 1in- Series with the flexible conductors zooattached y'noldsthe clampy block in place.

to -th'esockets 1.96 but the connectionis adapted'to b'ebroken in casethe bar 184 meets with'an'ob'- struction, such,` forexantiple,` asthearm of 'the operator if not withdrawn in" time or any? other rigid partextending across the .top of the'troug'hlilrebar38. ,.1 -J

"The brealringiof thepircuit in this manner may he employedy innumerous'ways' to effect stoppage of the machine before 'the Atravelling`end of the apron positioned behind'the `circuit-breaker bar arrives -atthe obstruction.` As shown. at the top of Fig. 3thev flexiblelconductors. 200 passl over iixed pulleys 292v and movableweightedpulleys 204 to provide free movement .of their lower travelling endsandat leastone of the conductorsmay extend (see right side .of Fig. 3rand upper right corner of Fig. 2) to aV relay box 206`carrying parts,for controlling the motor M and' the solenoid 207 of amechanically-gripping..electricallyreleasing brake 208 provided forthe'motor shaft 94.' Also extending from the relay box 206 toward thefront ofV the machineV is a conduit 210 carrying conductors to a manualcontrollswitch212. The manual, control switch; however,y is incapable ofstarting the motor while the circuitfbreaker bar 164, isdisplaced fromeither.- ofthe sockets 196.11'

1n operation, the switch'212 is actuated to supply current-to the motorand the solenoid 207`-of the electro-mechanical.brake 298, causingrelease of the brake and starting of the lmotor and `parts driventhereby; lWhen started thelniachineis al'- lowered to continue inoperation as long as desired".l Assuming that the parts in operationhaveat-v tained the positions in which they are showninall 'the figures saveFig. 5, the operator'placesfaquantity of loose material` in -thehopperfor-medley thel apron 36. yHe then takes inY hisleft hand a sleeveV C?from the pileof at sleeves on the table-i and by pressing on theedges-partially opens it, places one'end in the cup-162 and'swings thelclampfblock 115 ,down to :secure the other end of the sleeve. When theblock 110 is Vpulled down-thefring 122 Von the end of the handilatch11'6 drops into-the enlarged portion e of the arcuate slot'120l and IContinued op- 128 eration of the machine brings the apron into theposition shown in Fig. 5 where the travelling end is shown to haveV beendrawn downwardly near the oor at the front ofthe mach-ine and the bodyVof the apron forms with the trough-like bar V38 125A .an open endedcylinder somewhatsmallerthan and inline withV the openingsfi): and 42 inthe end plates 3e to compressthematerial intoa'cornpact roll of a sizeladapted to pass throughjtheopenir'ig iZjinto the container C.. 130

`At this point. the clutch? controlling .mercury switch 156 is closed'by the cam portioni1'62brof the constantly rotating cam plate;162'coming beneath the pin 160 on the free end of the .mercury4 tarilyclosing the circuit-.energizing the clutch op-` erating solenoid S.Thiscauses intermesh off-the clutch sleevey 1&0 andzthehuo-l'? ofthe'winding disc 136 connecting thedisc: to the constantly ro' tatingmain shaft 38 to windrup the chains 132,

pose. cushioned by the bumper 123 and the winding disc by theinteraction of its peripheral lugs 139 and the associated buffer.

To remove the lilled sleeve the operator pushes in on the latch rod 116to release the ring 122 from the slot 120 whereupon the spring 113returns the block 110 to its retracted (full line) position.

If during these movements the circuit-breaker bar, travelling ahead ofthe end of the apron, should meet with an obstruction the current is cutolf fromthe motor M and thesolenoid 207 of the brake 208 to quickly stopthe machine before any damage can be done.

While one embodiment of the invention has been described with someparticularity, it will be apparent that other embodiments andmodicationsmay be made Within the spirit of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Apparatus for packaging steel wool or like material comprising endplates with aligned openings, a trough-like bar secured between the endplates adjacent the openings, a flexible apron including a plurality ofsheets attached at one end to said bar, the sides of the apron fittingbetween said end plates, a rod attached to the other end of the apronfor imparting travel to it to wind up the apron upon the bar, the apronwhen wound forming with said bar an open-ended cylinder aligned withsaidend plate openings, a plurality of chains attached to the travellingend of said A apron and pressing upon the surface of the apron to holdit against the bar after the said travelling end passes the bar, each ofsaid chains being attached to a weight and having independent relativemovement therewith, and a plunger moving through vthecylinder formed bythe rolled-up ejecting plunger moving through said openingsv and theformed cylinder.

3. Apparatus for packaging steel wool or like material comprisingparallel end plates with aligned openings, a trough-like bar forming aparti-cylinder in line .with said openings, a llexible apron attached atone end to said bar and forming in retracted position a hopper betweensaid end plates and in closed position forming with said bar a cylinderaligned with said openings, an ejecting plunger moving through saidopenings and the formed cylinder, and means for securingcoordinatedmovement of said plunger and apron.

4. Apparatus for packaging steel wool or like material comprisingparallel end plates with aligned openings, a trough-like bar forming aparti-cylinder in line with said openings, a flexible apron attached atone end vto said .bar and forming in retracted position a hopper betweensaid end plates and in closed position forming with said, bar a cylinderaligned with said openings,lan ejecting 'plunger moving through saidopenings and the formed cylinder, and means for securing coordinatedmovement of said plunger and apron, said means comprising a magnet andmagnet.` u ,c

5. Apparatusv for packagingl steel woolor like material comprising'aflexible apro'nforming in oneposition a hopper for reception of materialand in another position a constricted cylinder a cam controlled switchjforf. governing the` pressing the material'into a roll, `areciprocableplunger movable througli'the formed cylinder for ejectingvthe roll, meansl formoving the apron between its two positions, andmeans timed withv the apron moving means for actuating the plungtiontoforma hopper and in closed position to.

form a constricting cylinder, means securing one end of said apron andmeans for causing travel of the other end ofsaid apron about said rst Ysecured end, said means comprising an oscillating flexible member.

'7. Apparatus of the character describedcomof the other end of saidapron, said jmeans comprising an oscillating flexible member, and a reciprocatory rack bar for oscillating said flexible member. i

8. Apparatus for packaging steel wool or-like material comprising anapron adapted to be rolled up `upon the materialand'including aplurality of llexible over-lapping metal sheets.v l

v9. Apparatus of the character rdescribed com-.

prising an ,apron including a plurality of flexible sheets adapted to berolled `up about a bar and a plurality of flexible membersfor pressingthe sheets against Ithe bar as rolled up. 10. Apparatus of thecharacter'described, comprisinga flexible apron adapted to roll up'upona bar to form a cylinder, vone `endof the apron' being slidable past theedge of the bar, `and means for pressing said apron against the edge ofthe bar, said means comprising a flexible member passing over a guidepulley onfa fixed shaft, the

location of said pulley shaft beingsuch that the flexible memberconstantly pressesV theapron upon the barrbut does notfbendin'theapronformed cylinder.'` n .v g l 11. Apparatus of the characterdescribedcomprising a constrictingv cylinder-forming mechanism, andmeans for holding'a container adjacent one end of the formed cylinder,said means l comprising. aA cup adapted to. receive yone `endfof thecontainer and a hinged-block adapted; engage the other end of thecontainer. Y l 12. Apparatus of the character described com-- prising aconstricting cylinder-forming mechanism, and meansfor'holdinga'container adjacent one end of. the formed cylinder, saidmeans comprising a cup adapted to receive one endof the container andalhingedblock'adapted toengage the other end ofA theV container, saidblock normally being urged into retracted position and provided with alatch for holding it container-engaging positionr. l

13. Apparatus of the character Vdfresciibedmom-L prising a constrictingcylinder-forming mechanism, a plunger movable through'said cylinder,means for operating saidl plunger comprising a free disc on a constantlyvrotating shaft, a flexible member connected to said plunger andadaptinto closed,

ed to be Wound upon said disc, av clutchsleeve l prising a-rollingapron, a bar adjacent the path of causing stoppageloithe vapparatus incasev the.

travelling apronend meets With an obstruction,- A3:5

a. magnetffor throwingzthe sleeve into clutchengaging position and a camon said disc lfor throwingitinto disengaging position, and means forreturning said disc andplunger to initial position after the clutch isdisengaged.4

v14.. Apparatus of the character described comprising a constrictingcylinder-forming mechanism, a plunger movable through the cylinder,means for operating said plunger ccmprising an oscillatory disc and aplunger-connected flexible member adapted to be Wound upon said disc,means for turning said disc in direction tooperate the plunger inejecting'r direction, means toreturn the .pl inger and disc including aWeight-V ed arm, a'bufler for said arm When movingl in ejectingdirection, and vbuffers for said plunger and'disc when moving infreturndirection.

15. Apparatus of the character described cornprising a rolling apron, abar adjacent the path of the travelling end of the apron, a motor driv-ving saidparts, andy a member moving` ahead of the travelling edge of theapron adapted to cause stoppage of the motor incase it meets an ob-vstruction abcve the bar.

16. Apparatus of the character described, cornprising a rolling apron, abar adjacent the path of: thetravellingend of the apron, and means forcausing stoppage of. theapparatus in case the travelling apron eindmeets with an obstruction.

17. Apparatus of thecharaoter described, comthetravelling end or" theapron, and means for said means comprising a circuit breaker travellingahead of theA apron and a magnetic-inechanical brake adapted to quicklystop the .ap--

paratus when the circuit is broken.

`18. vIn a machine for packaging attenuated ma- 4terialcon'fprisingmeans for pressing the material into a compact' bundle, means forsupporting a container, means foriejecting the bundle from thelpressing-means into the container, means for automatically actuatingsaid pressing and ejecting means successively, and means forvautomatically stopping'v the machine when said pressingmeansmeets-Withanobstruction.

' '19. Apparatus for packaging steel Wool or material comprising aflexible apron,.- means for automatically positioning said apron toreceive saidmaterial and for automatically closing said apron tolcompress saidv material, means for holdp ingja container, means 'forejecting the. compressed material iromthe apron "into the container, andmeans for automatically operating said apron-actuating means andejecting means successively;l

` 20.'Apparatus of the character described comprising aflexibleresilient metal apron adapted in retracted position to form ahopper and in a closed position to form a constricted cylinder, meansfor permanently securing. one endvof said said trough-like member todraw said apronv over iorinedr like said trough-like member to form a,constricting cylinder.: f q 22. In` apparatus of the characterdescribed, inV

combination, a trough-like member, the ytrough,

having a relativelysmalldiameter, amovablegelement, an apron attached atone end to said trough and aty the kother end to said movable element,whereby said apron .may` be drawn over saidVl trough to form arelatively large cylinderreduc-l ible to a relatively small cylinder byextended: movement of said movable element. x Y 23. In apparatus of` thecharacter described,i in combinatioma stationary bar, a movable bang anapron attached atene end to said'stationaryf bar andA at the other endto said movable bar and', means for actuating said movablebar fordrawing.-

said apron over said stationary'bar ,to forma relatively large cylindervand by extended moves-- mentof said movable bar ,'to'form a relativelysmall cylinder. v .f

24. In apparatus for paclragingsteel .Woolor. the like, in combination,a flexible'resilient apron automatically movable means and av stationarymeans moving saidapronto yan `open. position.r whereby apron formsahopper, andpfor mov- 10Gv ing said` apron to a closed position wherebysaid` apron `forms a constricting cylinder, the resiliency of said apronfacilitating .the return of the apron to its hopper position. g f n 25.in apparatus or vthecharacter described, 105 in combination, asupportingA member, aflexible member attached at-one end to.saidsupporting;v member, a second supporting means; the. other endof`said fiexible'member attached tov said: second supporting means, saidsecond supporting. means being adapted to pass ythe end of saidile'x-vible member attached thereto over saidfsupport-` ing member to'form saidiiexible memberintof a constricting cyllnder,. 'and'lbeingfadapted'tofforce said flexible member against-saldsupporting member as the cylinderformed by the .flexible'member is reducedin size.v l

'26. In apparatus of the character described;v in combination, asupporting member, a flexible member attached at'one end to saidsupporting` 120 member, Va supporting and guiding element',;.the.y otherend of said flexible member attached to saidr supporting and guiding'element,said supporting and guiding element'v beingadapted toV pass theend of said flexible 'member' attached. thereto 125 past saidfirst-namedV supporting member to form said flexible member into aconstricting cylinder, and being adapted to force said flexible memberagainst said first-namedv supporting member as thev cylinder vformed bythe flexible member is reduced in size, and said force increasing as thesize of the cylinder ls reduced.

27. I n apparatus for comprisingv a resilien compressible material, incombination, a troughlike element, a flexible member attached atone-,135 end to. saidtrough-like., element,aV supporting and guidingelement, thevv other end of said flexiblev Vmember attached to saidsupporting and guiding element,k saidV supporting and guidingy elementbeing Vadapted to position said flexible member to form a hopper toreceive said compressible material, and tdpas's one end of saidyflexible member over said trough-like member'to form a constricting.cylinderto compress said compressible material, and also to force thelend of said flexible member against said trough-like memben'said forceincreasing as thev constricting cylinderformed by said flexible memberis're-v duced byfurtherpassage of said flexible memberV cversadtrough-like member.

28. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, atrough-like member, a movable member, a iieXible apron attached at oneend tomember attached to said supporting and guiding' l element; saidsupporting and guiding element being adapted to pass said exible memberover an edge of said trough-like member to form a sub-j stantiallycircular constricting cylinderwith said trough-like member, and also. toforce said exible member against said edge, said force increasing as thesubstantially circular constricting cylinder formed by said flexiblemember is reduced by further passage of said flexible member over saidedge, but Without deforming said cylinder.

30. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, a trough, aflexible apron having an end 3g. fastened within said trough, and meansfor movder reducible in size upon c pressible material, in combination,a resilient ing said apron over said trough, to formv a cylinontinuedmovement of said means. .Y

31. In apparatus of the class described, in combination, 'a trough, aflexible apron having an end fastened Within said trough, and means formoving said apron over said troughrand said endto form a cylinderreducible in continued movement of said means. y, l

32. In apparatus of the class described, in com# bination, a resilientmember, movable means for positioning said memberv to receivecompressible" material and for positioning said member to envvrap andcompress said material, and means for actuating said movable means, saidactuation increasing in eiective actuating force as the resilient memberapproaches its iinal compressing position.v v

33.. In apparatus for packaging resilient comsize upon l member, meansfor positioning said member to receive said material,` and for bendingsaid mem- Y ber to envvrap and compress said material, and` :means foractuating said positioning'means according toa sine curve motion,whereby said positioning means ismovedwith maximum speed during theinitial stages of compression, and With minimum speed but maximum forceduring the Iinal stages of compression.

CROSBY FIELD. 105

